What's New

Summer 2008 ECF Upgrade

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin is planning an upgrade of CM/ECF (to Version 3.2). Most of the changes are behind the scenes, but there are a few new and enhanced features added to assist electronic filers.

The ECF team believes that you will find the new version a step forward in providing a more user friendly E-Filing application. If you ever have questions or concerns about CM/ECF or E-Filing, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always willing to provide a quick answer or assist you with your e-filing.

IRS Revised Data Standards

The IRS’s National Standards for Allowable Living Expenses and Local Standards for Transportation and Housing and Utilities Expenses have been updated. The revised standards will apply to cases filed on or after March 17, 2008.

More Bankruptcy Form Changes Effective January 1, 2008

Revisions to Official Bankruptcy Forms 22A, 22B, and 22C go into effect January 1, 2008. These forms implement the "means test" provisions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005. The revisions conform to the new IRS standards governing means test calculations which take effect on January 1, 2008.

Bankruptcy Form and Rules Changes Effective December 1, 2007

The following rules and forms are changing effective December 1, 2007. Use the links below to view the changes, or for quick reference, see our list of revised forms. The list includes brief descriptions of the change(s) made.

• Bankruptcy Rules: 1014, 3007, 4001, 6006, and 7007.1, and proposed new Rules 6003, 9005.1, and 9037
• Forms: 1, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16A, 18, 19, 21, 23, and 24. Amendments to the existing Official Forms will be effective on December 1, 2007.
• New Official Forms: 25A, 25B, 25C, and 26, will be effective December 1, 2008.

Attorneys are encouraged to contact their software providers to ensure access to the new forms by the effective date.

Website Survey

We're looking for feedback on our website. How well does it work for you? Can you navigate easily? What changes would you make? Please take a moment to respond to our survey.Your time is greatly appreciated. (Survey closed 10/25/07)

Fee Change Alert- New Fees Effective January 1, 2007

There are a variety of fee changes set to take effect January 1, 2007. Please see the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule for the new fees.

Beginning December 1, 2006, ALL USERS accessing Pay.gov must use a browser that supports 128 bit encryption. This means anyone paying filing fees on-line through ECF or PACER must meet this specification. Below is a list of supported browser versions.

Minimum browser requirements to support 128 bit encryption:

• Internet Explorer 6.0
• Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or greater
• Mozilla 1.7 or greater
• Netscape 7.x
• Safari 1.2 (for MAC users)
• Not Recommended: Internet Explorer 5.5 or lower

Typically, users can determine their browser version by opening the browser, clicking on Help and then choosing About. Should you experience any difficulties or have questions, please contact the ECF helpdesk at 800-373-8708.

Important Conversion Information:

Remaining portions of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA), pertaining to new statistical reporting requirements, are slated to take effect October 17, 2006. To comply with the law, and meet additional reporting requirements placed on the courts by the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System, the Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin plans to convert to an updated version of CM/ECF (Release 3.1) over the weekend of October 14th. The ECF system will be unavailable from noon Saturday October 14th through Sunday October 15th to allow for the conversion and testing of data. Read only access will be available during that time.

PLEASE NOTE: Significant changes have been incorporated into the case opening processes of 3.1 that will not permit the filing of a bankruptcy petition or adversary complaint utilizing your current software release.  This advance notice of our conversion date is provided to allow sufficient time for you to contact your respective Bankruptcy Preparation Software provider so that they can provide you with necessary updates for continued successful electronic filing. 

Fee Increase Alert

As a result of the enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 which the President signed into law on February 8, 2006, filing fee increases will take effect for all new cases filed on or after April 9, 2006.

Chapter 7
Increase from $274 to $299

Chapter 13
Increase from $189 to $274

Chapter 11 Conversions
Conversion from Ch 7 decreases from $780 to $755
Conversion from Ch 13 decreases from $850 to $765

Bankruptcy Reform Legislation

Fee Change Alerts

Effective September 20, 2005
Increase in the fee for filing a civil action under 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) to include:
Adversary Proceedings: increase from $150 to $250

Effective October 17, 2005
Per Section 325 of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (Pub L. 109-8, 2005) the filing fee amounts required by 28 U.S.C. § 1930 change as follows:

Chapter 7
Increase from $209 to $274
Increase Motion to Reopen from $155 to $220

Chapter 11
Increase from $839 to $1,039
Increase Motion to Reopen from $800 to $1,000

Chapter 13
Decrease from $194 to $189
Decrease Motion to reopen from $155 to $150

Information for Filing without an Attorney

If you are filing a new bankruptcy case without an attorney see the pro se web page for information to assist you with filing procedures. Bankruptcy can be complicated. The staff of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk's office provides a variety of services; however they are not permitted to assist with the preparation of the voluntary petition, schedules, or other documents, nor can they provide legal advice.

Revisions to Proof of Claim Form (Official Form 10)

New ECF User's Manual Now Available

The Internet Credit Card Payment of fees has been turned on. All ECF documents requiring a fee need to be paid online. If you have questions, please contact:

Tina in Madison at: (608)-264-5630, or
Monica in Eau Claire at: (715) 839-2993.
Our toll free number is: 800-373-8708

The PACER Service Center recommends that passwords for all PACER accounts be changed at least every 90 days to prevent the unauthorized use of PACER. All users that have been issued PACER accounts should change the password on a regular basis to protect their account's security.

To change passwords for PACER accounts, including those that are exempt from the fee, go to http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov Click on Account Information, enter your current login and password, then click on Change Account Password, and follow the on screen instructions.

CM/ECF Upgrade
The ECF system has been upgraded from version 2.3 to 2.5. Attorneys should make certain that their petition preparation software has been upgraded to be compatible with version 2.5 of ECF. Highlights of the new version include:

• Creditor record searches are no longer case sensitive.
• Creditor records now sort alphabetically by name
• The time period for the free look has been decreased to 15 days.

New Chapter 12 Information
On Monday, October 25, 2004, the President signed into law Senate bill 2864. This law retroactively extends Chapter 12 of the Bankruptcy Code for 18 months from January 1, 2004 until July 1, 2005. Thus, new Chapter 12 cases can be accepted for filing, and cases that were filed under other chapters can be converted to a Chapter 12.

Sign up for e-noticing (for attorneys only)
Whenever a pleading or other paper is filed electronically, the system will automatically generate a "Notice of Electronic Filing" at the time of docketing. If you sign up for e-noticing you will receive service of the "Notice of Electronic Filing" which shall be the equivalent of service of the pleading or other paper by first class mail, postage prepaid. With each e-mail, you are given one free look to view, save and/or print the document. Signing up for e-noticing does not commit you to electronic filing, only to accepting service via e-mail. Call the clerk's office with any questions you may have. NOTE: If you are a current ECF user, this procedure is NOT necessary.
Register Now

Sign up for a PACER account
Signing up is free. A PACER account is required to view docket sheets and case documents. Sign up at: http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov

Amended Dollar Amounts for Chapter 13 Filings
On April 1, 2004, automatic adjustments to various dollar amounts will become effective. These amended dollar amounts affect the eligibility of a debtor to file under Chapter 13. Official Form 10, Proof of Claim, has been changed to reflect the amended amounts and will apply to cases filed on or after April 1, 2004. The specific changes are limited to section 7, Unsecured Priority Claim and are as follows:

• Wages, salaries, commissions - claim limit increased from $4650 to $4925
• Deposits toward purchase, lease, or rental of property or services - claim limit increased from $2100 to $2225

CM/ECF System Upgraded
The CM/ECF System has been upgraded to version 2.3 to comply with the new rules on privacy and to make enhancements to the System. Please refer to the revised filing guides and version 2 highlights.

• Filing Guide for Attorneys (pdf)
• Filing Guide for Trustees (pdf)
• Filing Guide for Limited Use Participants (pdf)
• Version 2 Highlights (pdf)
  

Policy on Privacy (PDF)
Effective December 1, 2003, the new rules on privacy will take effect. This change will require that filers redact their full social security number and use only the last four digits on documents submitted to the court. See also Amendments to Federal Rules (PDF)

PACER Service Disruption
Through the end of June, all PACER web sites will experience at least one service disruption during business hours.  The service disruption is necessary to perform critical infrastructure upgrades to the Judiciary's network.  These upgrades will help maintain service in the future.  Each upgrade will take about an hour.

Thank you.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  If you have any questions, please contact the PACER Service Center at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov.